Taking on the Royal Parks ultramarathon

Bliss will have several people running the ultramarathon this year, including Robert Leonard, an experienced runner

An ultramarathon is any walking or running event longer than the standard 26.2 mile (42km) marathon. The Royal Parks Ultra is a 50km run through five of London’s Royal Parks, organised by the Royal Parks Foundation, taking place after the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 12 October.

Bliss will have several people running the ultramarathon this year, including Robert Leonard, an experienced runner. Robert began running ultramarathons in summer 2012. He says he was spurred to take them on when his friend, running on behalf of Bliss, completed the London marathon in less than three hours. Robert says: “I thought I would have a hard time trying to run a faster time, so I decided to run further.”

Since then, Robert has done many ultramarathons including the infamous Marathon des Sables; a six-day, 251km self-sufficient (all bedding and food is carried) run across the Sahara desert, considered the toughest foot race in the world. He also recently completed the South Downs Way 100, a race of 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne, finishing in just over 21 hours.

Robert is looking forward to the Royal Parks Ultra, he says: “I’ve put in a lot of training and set a target of getting a good time. I know it’s going to be really difficult but I’m looking forward to it and I’m very excited about running through the middle of London.”

Good luck to Robert and everyone running the Royal Parks half marathon and ultramarathon!